The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-04-08
From the White Mountains.


Mr.. OPINION would just take trip to thu
scene of the recent blockadcs in the White
Mountain Notch, he would bow his head
and exclaim 'the land of turpentine Is no
where" The trains go through such deer
cuts of snow that ten feet from the track
you can see nothing but Whit of steam
and the snow is blown and packed so hard
that the pick Is used before the shovel.
One blockade lasted week and this last
one nine days. Men who started on their
journeys, fresh and smiling, with spotless
linen and shaver faces, declare that they
emerged from their mountain prison per-
feet Rip Van Wrinkles. Notwithstanding
the great depth Of snow, numbering has
been pushed with an unusual vim. The
Browns of Whitefeld have got in twenty
millions, and smaller concerns have worked
to their fullest extent. j. +. Henry at
Zealand gets In a million every ten or
twelve days, he has two locomotives and
iron that extends back some six miles from
his mill which is said to saw out the most
lumber of any mill in New England, ac-
cording to its capacity. Van Dyke, the
lumber king of Northern N. H., has an
agent who manages it and who knows Just
how to get the most work out of crew of
men. At the Crawford house is drift
thirty feet in depth, and at Fabyans is the
eighth wonder Of the world in the form of
a snow tunnel from the cottage to the depot.
1t is over 100 feet in length, has handsome
guide boards at each end and equals almost
lii
Montreal Carnival. But aside from snow
in the woods and huge drifts in various
places, we have scarcely enough on our
highways. People from Vermont think we
have none at all, because here they can see
fences and trees. One or two warm days
will give lis plenty of bare ground. The
mud is already here as soon as the snow
melts for there is no frost in the ground of
and consequence.
South and West this winter, and their en-
Oyment is manifested by the lovely flowers
md delicious fruits that reach us in the
midst our SHOWS and ''zerOs." They write
Is of sails on mOOnlit lakes, of swinging
lammOcks under fragrant trees, of the
graceful sweet-eyed alligator, and flies and
1eas. Sand and thunder storms are some
lines briefly touched upon, but what have
hey not missed? We do not suppose they
AVE shOveled a path, ''warmed freestOne''
n spent an evening popping corn. all win
er long, but if Content be their handmade
N, what matter all else? But as we read
# cyclone and avalanche, flood and earth
uake, we feel more than ever willing to be
where double windows and storm doors are
necessary eight months in the year. Our
prominent hotel men. Barron, Merrill,
heir business there to be about their NAM
loth hotels in the mountains. The last
easOn was one of the most prosperous
mes we can recall in our thirteen years
tay here and of course they are all hoping
or lots of people this year also.
Such lovely deer as we have seen during
he fall and winter. With such game |
NV as ours, of course. they. could dance
bout fearlessly, and if yenison has been
cen on any ones table this winter it must |
ave been a case of accident or defective |
yesight.
The signal men on Mt Washington have |
ad terrific winter which they will not |
Don forget. They have splendid st.
'ernard dog weighing probably one hun,
red and fifty pounds. They get their lei :. mail mai
heir larder is well supplied and their Ii
rary too, and they have music and games,
ut it is a hard, isolated life after all and it |
Ills on them.
The death of Beecher strikes us all here
18th certain sense of personality, so well |
yas he known Il Twin Mountain for many |
easons. No more shall we see that COM
handing figure or hear that eloquent voice.
here is Beecher's pulpit, Beecher's Falls,
nd the croquet ground although planned
y Mrs. Stowe, has many improvements
lggested by her eminent brother. From
here we are writing we look across to the
rooms he always occupied at
he Twin Mountain house. The furniture
as arranged as he wished it. On the first
oOr of the hotels large side parlOr called
eecher's morning room, where be always
ad Scriptural readings, comments and
orning prayers for all who chose to come
|. How pleasant and instructive those
Ornings were. On the piano in that room
re piled scores of hymn books plymouth
presented to the Twin Noun
lin House by Mr.. Beecher's dearly loved
lurch in Brooklyn, mady of whose mem
orS have found pleasant summers rest
nOng our mountains. Mrs. Beecher was
ways his companion in his walks and
rives, a tall naughty looking lady reserv
| and dignified, but said to be very sweet
nd lOvable by those who know her well.
[any were the good deeds done by Mr..
eecher during these periods of summer
,st. Paying off the mortgage on some
DOR widows farm, getting up a generous
urse for some needy scantily paid minis
#. 'Of course" he was wont to say to the
ty part of his audience ''yOu must pay
lis, people that live here have enough to
, to get their living off these rocks" and
Is congregation always responded hand
,mely. Whatever his faults, his virtues
line forth like bright lights.
In view of the terrible railway accidents
e regard with pardOnable pride our own
ostOn & Lowell. ooh yes" says one, ''the
Thite Mountain Division has too much at
axe for an accident, it isn't policy, etc."
Zoe is me! what care we for the motive so
ing as safety is the result, but the individ-
al accidents to brakemen and engineers,
'sulting from their own carelessness, have
zen many and some of them appalling.
The town school system in this part of
le state is not meeting with very much
IvOr. 1t is very hard for some people to
1t out of the old ruts. We think this Sec
I'd year of trial will meet with more ap-
rOval than last.
Politically, old Coos occupies its custom
y Democratic peak, but our county seat
Lancaster met with such defeat at the
arch elections as to quite unsettle it. Sc
Ire in its wOnted way sit raised not a
eapOn, nor mustered clan," only to find
nightfall that ''the little foxes had spoil
1 the vines' and that eternal vigilance is
necessary now as ever.
Since we commenced this there has been
heavy fall of new snow, also fall of the
ercury and now there are signs of a
eshet, all of which warns us to stop and
II which THAT is, if we do stop Mr..
prNyON muSf no davOutlv thankful